


12 Days of Snowbaz

by drcplets



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Christmas, First Meeting, Flirting, Fluff, Kisses, M/M, Magic, No Magic AU, but lots of christmas festive cute stuff!!!!, i really dont know what else to tag this i'll probably add tags as i write the fics, reverse pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drcplets/pseuds/drcplets
Summary: A collection of Christmas one shots that will include many holiday romances and shenanigans. Read these fics to spark holiday cheer and enjoy a bit of fluff with Simon and Baz!Prompts found on alloftheprompts on tumblr!
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch & Simon Snow, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! I hope you enjoy these Christmas fics. They will be a mix of magical/non magical, with different styles and POV's thrown in as I see fit.

Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.

If Baz never had to walk into his office and lay eyes on Simon Snow again, he’d be happy. But, it seemed as if the world hated him, because yesterday he was informed that it would be his responsibility to make preparations for the company Christmas party. With Simon. At least Simon looked as displeased with the news as he did, because the first thing Baz did was look over to gauge his reaction. 

Ever since the first day of their internships, the two had never gotten along. Simon was all sunshine and rainbows, while Baz was the complete opposite. For every smile Simon offered, Baz gave a sneer in return. Maybe it was his fault that Simon didn’t like him, but the feeling was mutual, so he was more than happy to keep up the act. 

Baz liked being an intern for a prosecution lawyer. There was never a dull moment, and he thrived off of it. He had opportunities to use his knowledge and research skills, while also taking in lots of useful information about the field. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a lawyer yet, but that was the purpose of an internship, right? 

Simon, on the other hand, was an intern for a family lawyer. All day long, he got to smile and watch children get adopted, or frown as another newly divorced couple stepped out of the office. Baz overheard him talking to one of the paralegals about how he wanted to be a social worker one day, and how his professor said that this would be a good opportunity for him to build his resume. 

Of course Simon wanted to be a social worker. He gave off the ‘I want to be a hero’ vibe the moment Baz met him. Their desks faced each other, so when the office was slow, it took everything in Baz not to just stare across the hall at him. 

Maybe he was a little bit attracted to him.  _ You’re allowed to be attracted to someone you can’t stand. _ Baz found himself giving this little reminder often, especially as fall was changing to winter and Simon’s hair had grown out into gorgeous bronze curls. 

“Baz,” Simon spoke from his desk, leaning forward slightly. 

“What do you want?” Baz snapped back. 

“Calm down, I was just going to ask if you wanted to have lunch. You know, so we can start planning the party.” 

“You think I’m actually going to plan the party  _ with _ you?” 

“Well, they kind of told us to plan it together.” Simon’s tone was almost timid, like he was scared of Baz. 

“I can plan it by myself. Don’t worry about it.” Baz looked away now, hoping to end the conversation. 

“I have ideas!” Simon piped up, unwilling to let it end. 

“I’m sure they’re  _ wonderful _ ideas, Snow, but I assure you mine are better.” Baz knew Simon hated it when he called him Snow, so he made sure to say it as often as possible. 

“How will you know unless you let me tell you my ideas?” 

“I just know.” Baz’s words were ice cold. 

“Do you have to be so condescending?” 

Baz placed his palms on his desk at this statement, then took a deep breath before saying anything else. He didn’t want people to think he was condescending, that’s rather unbecoming, so he knew he was going to have to give in and spend half an hour listening to Simon’s most likely terrible Christmas party ideas. 

“I’ll have lunch with you.” He could barely choke out the words. 

“Really?” Simon’s face broke out into a smile, and it made Baz sick to his stomach. 

“Yes. Whatever. Meet me out front in an hour.” 

Baz was restless for the entire hour before his lunch meeting with Simon. He found himself calling it a lunch  _ date _ more than once in his head, but the idea of that was absurd. Simon would never want to go on a date with him, and he would never ask. 

When the time came, Simon was standing outside when Baz pushed through the large glass door. 

“I’m always late, so I made sure to get here early.” Simon said. 

“At least you know your flaws.” Baz replied with a slight roll of his eyes, then started walking down the block. “There’s a cafe pretty close, shouldn’t be too busy.” 

Simon almost tripped over his own feet in order to catch up as he realized Baz was walking away. “Do you always walk this fast?” He asked. 

_ Gay people walk faster than everyone else.  _ Baz thought to himself, and couldn’t help but let a smirk crawl across his features. 

“Yes.” Was all he really said, then gave a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Simon was keeping up. 

The cafe that Baz was leading them to was empty like he suspected. A friend of his mother’s owned it, and it was a hole in the wall, but Ebb made the best sandwiches he’d ever tasted. When they walked in, the woman herself was manning the front counter. 

“Now, what are you doing out here?” His tone changed when he spoke to Ebb. He wasn’t always cold and disagreeable. “I’ll have my usual, and he’ll have,” Baz paused, looking back to Simon. 

“Oh, I’m not picky. I’ll try anything.” He smiled and nodded, and Ebb seemed to like that answer. 

“I’ll make something tasty!” She began writing the order down on a notepad, and simply swatted Baz’s hand away when he tried to hand her his credit card. 

“Pick a spot, then.” Baz motioned around the place, “May be hard to fit in somewhere, but I think we can manage.” This was his attempt at making a joke, considering every table was empty. 

“So, I was thinking,” Simon started.

“You know how to do that?” Baz laughed, knowing his comment wasn’t funny. 

“I was thinking.” Simon started again, ignoring the comment. “I was thinking that we could have a DJ and a dance floor with a disco ball! Wouldn’t that be cool? It’d be like a Christmas club.” 

He seemed to genuinely think this was a good idea, which worried Baz. He was not going to plan a party with a DJ for distinguished lawyers. 

“I think the dance floor would be fine, but a DJ and a disco ball would be tacky. Why not a live band and twinkling lights?” He offered a solution. There would still be lights and music, so why did Simon look so displeased? 

“So, no Christmas tree shaped jell-o shots either, then?” Simon must have known Baz was going to shoot down that idea. 

“Snow, you do realize we’re planning a party for a crowd of adults and their loved ones. Lawyers. I don’t think they’re the type of people to want to throw back a jell-o shot while fist pumping.” Baz spoke, wondering if Simon had any more ideas. 

“I guess I’m used to planning college parties.” Simon shrugged. “My last idea was a gingerbread house making contest.” 

“That would be really messy.” Baz felt himself cracking a smile at the thought of his boss trying to decorate a gingerbread house. “Maybe, instead, we could do cookie decorating? Everyone would love a souvenir.” 

“That would be fun!” Simon’s eyes lit up as he spoke, but mostly because he saw Ebb carrying two massive plates over to their table. 

The food looked delicious as usual, and Baz was happy to dig in as he continued the conversation with Simon. 

“I don’t mean to shoot down all your ideas, you know. I know I seem like a mean guy,” He was cut off. 

“You are a mean guy. Scrooge!” 

“Quite the contrary, Snow. I love Christmas. We have a big party at my house every year, so I know how to put one together that adults will love. Live music, a big tree, and an open bar. It’s simple, really.” 

The two continued their conversation for the better part of an hour, and by the end of their lunch break had made plans to go shopping for decorations together the next day. They had about a week to set up for the party, and Baz knew that was plenty of time to get everything together. 

He didn’t want to admit it, but having lunch with Simon was really pleasant. He found the sunshine of his personality less annoying up close, and although he couldn’t stop himself from saying snide things the other didn’t seem to mind so much. 

The next week entailed many trips to the home store together and many sessions decorating the space at the office where the party would be held. Baz was impressed with how well Simon could follow directions, and he also seemed to have an eye for what color lights would look best in which part of the room. Baz handled booking a band and a bartender, and Simon ensured that the party invitations went out as scheduled. 

Another thing Baz would never admit was that the two made a pretty good team. The more time they spent together throughout the week, the more he found himself growing to actually like Simon. He was funny, kind, and had a zeal for life that Baz found refreshing. Before, he only thought about how good looking he was. Now, he felt as if he was seeing Simon as more of a person. 

He wondered if Simon would ever see him as a person too, or if he would always be the mean guy who sat across the hall from him. 

“Can you reach to put this up?” Simon spoke as Baz was arranging a centerpiece, and when Baz looked over, he was standing on his toes trying to reach high enough to hang a wreath. 

“Think my extra three inches will do it?” Baz chuckled and walked over, and sure enough, he was able to reach the hook with ease. “What would you do without me?” 

“I would have planned a tasteless party, that’s for sure.” Simon laughed, knowing that Baz was only teasing every time he said something to that degree throughout the week. 

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night what everyone thinks!” Baz was a bit nervous to see the reaction of all the employees in the office. He was mostly sad that he wouldn’t have an excuse to spend more time with Simon. 

The party was on a Saturday, so the office was closed all day leading up to it. Baz made certain to get to the space early so he could greet the band and make sure everything was good with the bar. All the decorations looked flawless, and the room felt effortlessly festive despite all the work he and Simon had put into it. 

Baz wanted to require that everyone come in formal wear, but Simon insisted that there should be a casual dress code. This was the one thing he was going to let him get away with, it seemed, because rather than a suit Baz was standing in a pair of black slacks (perfectly fitted) and a dark green sweater. A few minutes before other guests would start to arrive, Simon walked into the space with a huge smile on his face. 

“We forgot something!” He exclaimed, then shoved a piece of mistletoe in Baz’s general direction. 

“Ah, yes.” Baz took the garnish and looked around the room, searching for a spot that would be appropriate to hang it. Once he located a doorway, he walked over to hang it up and Simon followed suit. 

“You did a really good job with all of this.” Simon looked around the room as he complimented, then looked back to Baz, who was still trying to hang the mistletoe. 

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t have done it without you.” It was the most gentle Simon had heard Baz speak all week. 

“That looks perfect!” Simon glanced up at the mistletoe, now hanging in the doorway above them. 

“And we’re standing under it.” Baz was blushing, but he couldn’t try to hide it. 

“Would be a shame to break tradition.” Simon was blushing too, Baz could see the color creeping onto his cheeks. 

“Merry Christmas, Snow.” He smiled, then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Simon’s lips. The gesture alone made him feel like he was stepping inside a Hallmark movie. Kissing the man he was attracted to but never thought he would actually develop feelings for under a mistletoe.

“Merry Christmas indeed!” Simon exclaimed, eyes lighting up as they pulled apart. “I was starting to think you may never do that.” 

“You wanted me to do that?” 

“Not always, I mean, I always had a crush on you. But the more I got to know you this week, the more I wanted you to, you know.” 

“Kiss you?” Baz’s lips hung open slightly, shock ringing in his words. 

“Kiss me. Kiss me and kiss me and kiss me.” Simon replied, and then the two stood under the mistletoe doing exactly that until the rest of the party guests began to arrive.


	2. Day 2

** Character A’s best friend rigs the Secret Santa, because they know Character A has a crush on Character B. **

**PENELOPE**

What will it hurt if I make sure Simon draws Baz’s name from the hat? That’s the only possible way to make sure that he talks to him. They’re roommates, for Crowley’s sake. I’ve been trying to convince Simon to just  _ talk to him _ for weeks with zero results. 

_ “He’s too intimidating, Penny!”  _

Simon has been whining about how intimidating Baz is since we came back to school this semester. He whines about how he’s intimidating almost as much as he whines about how he’s fit. It’s exhausting. I’ve had classes with Baz before, and while he may be a little intimidating, he’s also very smart and kind when you let him. His words may have a sharp tone, but once you get to know the bloke he’s pretty decent. 

So, when Simon is drawing names for the 8th year Secret Santa, I cast “ **I choose you!** ” under my breath, knowing this will make him draw Baz’s name. The spell is supposed to make someone choose the person they most strongly desire, and although I’ve never used it before, I’m hopeful that it’ll work. It had better bloody work. 

**SIMON**

I reach into the hat with a smile on my face. I love Secret Santa, it’s one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season. After my breakup with Agatha last year, I’m pretty sure it will be my favorite part since I won’t be going to the Wellbelove’s to celebrate this year. I’ll probably just end up stuck at Watford. 

That’s not a bad thing, I can spend time with Ebb and the goats. I’ve been missing them lately. 

I reach my hand to the bottom of the hat and grip onto one of the little pieces of paper. I pull it out and open it, and then I have to read it three times to fully understand whose name I drew. 

Baz. 

I drew Baz’s name from the hat. Bloody hell. I have to get Baz a Christmas present. I want to get him one every year, but I feel like he would just laugh in my face. 

Now that I’ve drawn his name, I have to get him one. This is going to be a nightmare. I’ll get him something, he’ll hate it, and he’ll know it’s from me. This is a disaster. I have to tell Penny. 

The hat is still being passed around the room at this point, so I wait until everyone’s had a chance to draw a name. I wonder who drew my name. I don’t really care what I receive as a present, I just love the tradition of giving gifts. Seeing the look on someone’s face when you give them a gift is second to none. Last year I drew Trixie’s name from the hat, and she was over the moon with the star shaped set of dangly earrings I bought for her. I see her wearing them all the time now. 

I run over to Penny once everyone is done and starting to leave, and I sit down beside her so fast I almost slip out of the seat on the other side. 

“What’s got you so worked up?” She asks me. 

“You’ll never believe whose name I drew!” I reply, fumbling with the piece of paper I’d shoved into my pocket after I drew it. 

**PENELOPE**

I know exactly whose name he drew!

**SIMON**

“Well, who is it, then?” She asks, almost too calm. 

“Bloody Baz, innit?” I open the paper and shove it at her, then slump down in my seat. This is stressing me out more than it should be. I’ll buy him something simple, leave it on his desk, and move on. No big deal! 

“Simon, this is a good thing! You can get him a gift and talk to him. Maybe even  _ flirt _ with him.” She suggests, and I roll my eyes. 

“I can’t talk to him, and I  _ definitely _ can’t flirt with him. Jesus.” The stress of that thought has me swearing like a normal. “It was bad enough to realize I was attracted to him, but to act on it? I think I’d rather die.” 

“You’re being so dramatic. How many times do I have to tell you that Baz isn’t actually a bad guy?” 

“Tell that to the me who got pushed down the stairs, or the me who got the Chimera sent after him! He hates me, Pen. He’s going to hate any gift I give him. I can’t win in this situation.” 

“Just give him a chance. He may surprise you.” 

“Maybe I’ll feel better about it after I’ve had some scones.” I glance at the plate sitting on the table, figuring they’d gone cold. 

“ **Some like it hot** !” Penny casts, like she could read my mind. 

She pulls a book out of her bag and starts reading it while I devour the entire plate of scones. I know she wants to tell me not to use food as a coping mechanism, but what else am I supposed to use? My plan worked, though, and I do feel better about the whole situation after I’ve eaten. 

Now I just have to figure out a gift I could get for Baz that he’d actually like and wouldn’t make him laugh in my face. What do you get for a guy who already has everything? He’s well rich, and well fit, and well smart. He’s always reading books, so that could be an option. Worst case scenario would be buying him a copy of a book he’s already read. 

“Feeling better?” Penny asks, and I guess she noticed how I’d started staring off into space a few minutes ago. 

“Sort of. I guess it’s not the worst thing that I drew his name. I just need to figure out what to get for him.” 

“He’s your roommate, you know more about him than you think. Just consider what would make him happy.” She suggests, and I know she’s right. 

I have two weeks to buy a gift and give it to him. Right. I can totally do that. 

**BAZ**

Snow seems exceptionally on edge when he comes into the room. I’m lying on my bed rereading my copy of  _ The Picture of Dorian Gray _ for the fourth time. I should read something new, but it’s always nice to revisit a classic. 

“Alright, Snow?” I ask, and it’s a genuine question. I think Snow thinks I have it out for him, but I haven’t done anything malicious to him in over a year. 

That thought isn’t the best. I used to do malicious things to him all the time, so of course he thinks I have it out for him. I don’t. I’m hopelessly in love with him, but I can never tell him that. The most I can do is keep to myself and leave him alone. 

**SIMON**

He has to be plotting something big. It’s been so long since he’s done anything to me, the thing he’s planning must be the biggest and worst thing he’ll ever have done to me in the history of us knowing each other. 

Luckily, I have bigger things to worry about right now. 

“Yeah, good. Just don’t know what to get my Secret Santa person for a present, is all.” I say casually, hoping he doesn’t ask whose name I drew. I’ll have to lie. 

**BAZ**

“I don’t even know the girl I drew.” I reply to his comment, and shrug. “Everyone likes coffee mugs. I’ll probably get her a nice one of those.” 

“Everyone likes them?” Snow seems to be making a mental note. 

“I mean, not everyone. They’re impersonal. Something to get someone if you don’t really know them. If I knew the person I drew, I’d try harder.” I give advice, and he nods. 

Does Snow know the person he drew? He probably drew Bunce’s name, knowing their luck. He gets her a gift every year but would still stress over what to get as a Secret Santa present. 

He seems to stress over everything. 

“You’ve got time, Snow. Don’t worry about it too much. You’re going to get wrinkles.” I say, and instantly notice him let go of the tension he’d been holding in his face. 

“I’m going to bed.” Is all he replies back, and I return to reading my book. 

**SIMON**

They’re  _ impersonal _ . He would try harder to find a good gift if he actually knew the person he was buying something for. 

I feel like I know Baz, but at the same time I don’t  _ know _ him. I know he likes to read, and he likes football, and that’s about it. He’s quiet, and I never see him in clothes besides his Watford uniform or his silky fancy pajamas. 

How can you buy something meaningful for a person you barely know? 

I should feel ashamed by how little I know about him considering we’ve lived together for the past seven and a half years. I never felt like I was allowed to get to know him, really, because he always shut me out whenever I would try and talk to him during first year. After that, I stopped trying. 

I have two weeks to find him a present that he’ll love. That’s fine. I can totally do it. 

____________________________

I have two more days to find a present.

Gathering information about your roommate without him knowing is proving more difficult than I originally thought. I try to look at his things while he’s not in the room, but he’s so organized that he has everything put away where I can’t see it. I don’t want to move anything because I fear that I won’t be able to put it back in the right place. I could spell it clean, but it may not be like how he left it. Too risky. 

My next thought was to buy him something that I would like. But, I decided that would be a bad plan too because he would probably think whatever it was was tasteless and lame. 

Penny said I should go to the shops and see if anything jumps out at me. That seems like it may be my best option at this point. She’s going later today and said I could tag along, and I’m actually kind of excited, because it’s always nice to get away from Watford for a little while. 

“Did you buy something for your person yet?” I ask as she thumbs through a rack of dresses.

“I did, actually. I got a few 80s movies on DVD, along with popcorn and candy. Movie night in a box!” She smiles at me, delighted with her fantastic gift idea. She makes it seem so easy. 

“See! I never would have thought about getting something like that. I’m hopeless.” I whine. 

“You’re not hopeless, Si. You just want to get him the right gift. Go look around and see if you can find anything.” She motions me away, and I go reluctantly. 

The shop is massive. There’s got to be something here that Baz would enjoy. I walk to the books first and start looking through them. He reads a lot, he’s probably already read every book on this shelf. 

I find myself stopping at a shelf full of poetry books. One in particular sticks out to me. The cover is filled with stars and the book is thick, and when I open the front cover I see that the poems are arranged into collections based on how someone is feeling. This could be interesting. I have to get over the fact that he may have already read it, because if that’s the case, he can just return it to buy something else. 

I tuck the book under my arm and move on. I should find something to go with it, surely. I keep thinking about how Baz said he would make his gift personal if he knew the person. I know Baz in ways that don’t make sense. I know everything about the way he looks. His face, his eyes, the way his lips pout slightly when he sleeps. 

Thinking about Baz’s physical features distracts me, and when I snap out of it I’m standing in the section of the shop that has various different jewelry and accessories. A floral hair scarf catches my eye and for some reason I can’t stop looking at it. Baz has the best hair I’ve ever seen, and I don’t know if he would ever use something like this, but I find myself picking it up before I can have a second thought. I reach for a pack of black scrunchies, too, because he’s always tying his hair up with plain rubber bands that look like they hurt. 

This is as personal of a present as I’m going to get. 

I show the items to Penny when I find her in the shop again, and she seems to approve, while also throwing in a line about how her plan worked. We head to another shop to buy gift wrap (I pick some with snowflakes all over it) and then hop on the train to head back to Watford. I put Baz’s gifts in my backpack in case he’s in the room when I get home. I can wrap them when he’s away, or in the shower, or something. Then, tomorrow, I’ll give them to him. It’ll be right before he’s headed home for Christmas break, so if he hates the gifts, at least I won’t have to see his face much after I give them to him. 

**BAZ**

I have a sense of deja-vu as Snow comes stumbling back into our room after being gone all day. I’m lying on the bed reading a book, and he looks like he’s on edge. I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence. 

“I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again. You alright, Snow?” I put my book on my chest and peer at him over my glasses. 

“Oh yeah, perfect. Do I look weird or something?” 

“You just look nervous.” 

**SIMON**

Shit. I am nervous. I have to play it off like I’m not. 

**BAZ**

“No, I’m good! Just excited for break, that’s all.” He speaks as he plops down onto his bed and slings his backpack off. 

“Did you find a gift for your Secret Santa person yet?” I ask, remembering how he was feeling on edge about that the last time we spoke. 

“I did, actually. I hope they like it.” He almost seems giddy with his words, but I can tell there’s a tinge of worry to them. 

“Well, Snow, I’m sure whoever it is will love your gift. Or, they’ll act like they love it at least. It is Christmas, after all.” I shrug. I’ve faked liking a present multiple times just to make my parents happy. 

“How can I tell if they’re only pretending to like it?” The worry seeps into his words more in this question. 

“I think you’ll be able to tell.” I say, not really knowing how to explain it further than that. 

**SIMON**

“I hope I can tell.” I fumble with my hands, tapping my fingers against each other gently. If Baz opens my gift and hates it immediately, I want to be able to tell. I’d rather that than have to guess if he was faking or not. 

He seems to be back in the room for the night, so I’ll have to wrap my presents when he goes for his shower. That won’t be difficult, considering the shortest amount of time he spends in the bathroom is an hour. 

I play with a rubix cube to pass the time while I wait for him to get up and go into the bathroom, and as soon as the door shuts and I hear the lock I’m unzipping my backpack to get out his presents. I’m going to be shit at wrapping them, but that’s beside the point. The fact that they’re wrapped at all should mean something. 

It takes me half an hour to get the wrapping paper right, and when I look at the finished products I’m satisfied. I slide them under my bed so he won’t see them when he decides to emerge from the bathroom, then roll over and fall asleep. 

**BAZ**

When I walk back into the room after my shower, Snow has turned out all the lights and is fast asleep. I see a piece of blue wrapping paper sticking out from under his bed, and I find it kind of endearing that he waited to wrap the presents until I was out of the room. He’s taking the whole ‘Secret Santa’ thing seriously. 

I dropped off my present to Sarah earlier today. She loved the mug (I knew she would, everyone loves mugs) and that was that. I’ll have to ask Snow how it went after he gives away his presents, since he seems to be so worried about it. 

Before I know it I’m falling asleep, and I don’t wake up until the next morning when Snow is fumbling about the room. 

“Go back to bed, Snow, it’s early.” I groan into my pillow which I’m holding above my face, trying to shield it from the light of the window. “Close the curtains, too, you know how I feel about the light.” 

“Sorry, can’t sleep. I’ve been trying to go back to sleep for an hour.” He walks to the curtains and closes them, and has a sympathetic look on his face when I remove the pillow from over mine. 

“Well, I guess I’m awake too, then.” I sit up in my bed and rub on my eyes, then reach my arms up and stretch. 

“Want to open your presents, then?” He says it so casually, and I notice he’s reaching down to pull the gifts out from under his bed. 

_ My _ presents? He drew  _ my _ name from the hat? This can’t be happening. He was nervous about buying a present for me. 

“Snow, you didn’t have to get me something.” I say, although I know he did, because everyone participates in Secret Santa. I told him never to buy me a present after he tried during first year. 

“I drew your name, Baz, so yes, I did.” He hands me three gift boxes and then sits on his bed, a small smile resting on his features as he waits for me to rip into the paper. 

**SIMON**

I feel like I’m going to be sick as I observe Baz open the gifts I got for him. He’s so gentle with the wrapping paper, and doesn’t tear it off the boxes like I would. He’s taking his time, and I can barely breathe as he takes the poetry book out of the first box. 

“I don’t know if you even like poetry. But I know you like to read, and you read a lot, so I was worried if I got you a regular book you would have already read it before.” I start to explain myself before he could even say anything. “I marked a couple of the poems in it that I liked.” I smile, remembering how I sat and looked through the book on the train home yesterday. 

“I love poetry.” Baz says quietly, then opens the book to one of the pages I marked. 

I marked a few about falling in love. Maybe he’ll get the message if he reads one. 

I watch as his eyes scan the page and he smiles softly to himself. I feel like my heart might actually beat out of my chest. 

**BAZ**

Simon Snow bought me a book of poetry and marked his favorite ones for me to read. The act in itself is romantic, although I know he probably didn’t mean it that way. The first poem I turn to is a poem about growth, and it makes me smile as I read it.

“I’ll read the rest of them later, yeah?” I look up at him and let the smile keep resting on my face as I reach for the second box. The next two are smaller, and I wonder what could be inside. 

“These are probably stupid.” He laughs as I pull the scrunchies out of the box. 

“Hair scrunchies? I have hair ties, Snow.” I say and he looks panicked. “But these are very nice, and I’ll be sure to use them.”

“They looked like they would be more comfortable for your hair than the ties you already use.” He shrugs. 

“I’m sure they will be!” I keep my tone light, remembering what I told him last night about how he would be able to tell if someone was faking liking a present. I’m not faking at all. 

I move to open the last box and Snow seems the most nervous about this one. What I see inside is a scarf with a floral pattern, in the same type of fabric as most of my pyjama sets. I pick up the scarf and examine it, smile still resting on my lips. 

“How did you know?” I look over at him, a bit awestruck.

“Know what?” The panicked tone is back in his voice. 

“I wear these in my hair at home.” I get up out of my bed and walk to my wardrobe, then reach inside to grab a light blue scarf from the back. “This was my mother’s, and it’s the only one I ever bring with me to Watford. But I have a few more at home. I drive a convertible during the summer sometimes, and these are the best to keep my hair at bay. I love it, Simon.” My words slip, and I realize after I’ve said his first name that I can’t take it back. 

**SIMON**

He called me Simon. I must have really caught him off guard. I’m shocked he loves the scarf. I thought it would look good on him, and now I’m able to see that  _ it does _ because he’s standing in front of the mirror trying it on. 

“I thought it would look good on you, and I wasn’t wrong.” I say, noticing that every ounce of worry I was feeling before starting to slip away. 

“You thought about how this would look good on me?” He turns to look at me with a smirk on his lips. 

“Well, yeah, but everything looks good on you so I didn’t have to think about it much.” I guess I should start trying to flirt like Penny suggested. 

“Snow, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were trying to hit on me.” I think he’s joking when he says this, but it’s true. 

“You called me Simon before.” 

“Fine. Simon, are you trying to hit on me?” 

“Yes.” I say simply, deciding to be bold. Fuck it. 

**BAZ**

I’m taken aback by his confession, and I find myself a bit lost for words. 

“Since when have you wanted to hit on me?” I can’t breathe. This isn’t happening. I came out to everyone last year and  _ no one _ has tried to hit on me. I was beginning to think there wasn’t another bloke at Watford who wasn’t straight. Simon Snow would have been my last guess. 

“A while. I don’t know.” He shrugs. All he ever does is shrug. “Sorry if it’s weird.” 

“No!” I almost shout, then turn to face him again. “No, it’s not weird. I like you too.” I confess. I never dreamed I would be confessing this to him. Am I dreaming? 

“Holy shit.” He breathes, and I can tell he’s panicking as much as I am. “What do we do now? You’re about to go home for Christmas!” 

“Come with me.” I say without thinking. Sure, spending the break with my roommate at my family home after we just admitted to having feelings for each other is a fantastic idea. 

“Are you sure?” He asks, and I nod quickly. 

“Totally. What would you do otherwise, stay here? Go to Bunce’s?” 

“Here. I was planning to stay here.” 

“Well now you can come home with me.” I realize I’ve been standing in the middle of the room looking at him sitting on his bed the whole time we’ve been talking, and I decide maybe I should sit down too. I decide to sit on Simon’s bed, beside him. If we’re breaching new territory we may as well take every step. 

“I won’t be bothering you?” He asks, and I’m reaching out to take his hand before I can stop myself. 

“Simon, I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt for well over a year, so no, you won’t be bothering me.” I say, and I watch his eyes light up at the statement. 

Little did I know, bringing Simon home with me for the holidays was the best thing I could have ever done. By the end of the break, I had my first kiss and a boyfriend, and I’d never been more excited to return to school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! See you tomorrow with the next chapter!


	3. Day 3

** Character A works as a Santa’s helper. Character B has a small sibling/child. **

**BAZ**

The reason Mordelia wants to go visit Santa Claus is unknown to me. She’s never without presents on Christmas, and my family (usually Vera or myself) always makes sure the house is decked out with Christmas cheer. Last year, I poured flour on the floor and stepped in it to make it look like Santa had actually come out and walked to the table where she left cookies. 

But, I’m a sap and a good big brother, so there was no way I was ever going to win the battle of traipsing to the shopping centre to see Santa. 

Mordelia was excited all day leading up to our excursion, and I have to admit, I was excited too. She’d been walking around the house singing carol after carol, and even dressed up in a red and green party dress she was supposed to be saving for the annual holiday party. She wanted me to dress up, too, but I felt like wearing a suit to the mall would be a bit much. 

“Ready to go?” I’m standing by the door putting on my coat when she comes bounding over to me. 

“Yep! I’ve got my list and everything!” She answers, holding up the piece of paper she was clutching tightly in her little hand. 

“Should I make a list, too? Do I have to talk to Santa?” I question, looking down at her. 

“Maybe you could just come up with something on the spot, we don’t have time for you to make a list now.” She says seriously, and it makes me chuckle. 

After this exchange, Mordelia and I head out to my car. Once she’s strapped in the back I hop in the driver’s seat and head off. We listen to Christmas music in the car, and I keep looking in the rear view mirror to admire the smile on my little sister’s face. Her eyes begin to light up as we drive into the city, because every building is lit up with twinkling lights. 

“Are we almost there, Baz?” She asks, face pressed to the glass of the window. 

“Almost!” I reply, knowing we only have a few more blocks before we reach our destination. 

I try to exclusively online shop because I usually hate Christmas crowds at traditional shopping malls. But, the mall isn’t that crowded tonight, so it’s actually pleasant to walk through and admire all the decorations. I make Mordelia hold my hand as we stroll through, because the last thing I want is to lose her in the crowd. We spend five minutes looking into the window of the sweets shop, watching as they make candy canes. 

Finally, we’re walking up to the area where Santa is set up meeting children in the middle of the mall. There’s a giant gingerbread house, a photographer, and a slew of guys and girls my age dressed up as elves helping out with the kids and the line. I spot one elf in particular who is more gorgeous than all the rest. His eyes are blue, and there are bronze curls sticking out from under his elf hat. I want to give him my number. That can be resolved later, though, because now Mordelia is tugging on my sleeve because she wants to get in line. 

We spend about half an hour in the line, and result to playing ‘I spy’ to pass the time. Mordelia is quite good at the game, because I can rarely find the things she picks for me to find. I always try and pick more obvious things, but that’s only because I want her to feel like she’s winning. 

When we’re next in line, I ask her if she wants me to go up with her or not. 

“No, you can wait. I want to show him my list by myself.” She answers confidently, and I nod. 

Soon, it’s her turn, and she walks right up to Santa and sits on his lap. I take this as my time to go and stand next to the handsome elf from earlier. 

“Little sister?” He asks me, and I can’t help but notice a blush rise to his cheeks. 

“Indeed. She begged me all week to bring her, so here we are.” I have my hands in my pockets, and I know I need to make a quick decision on whether or not I want to be bold. I’m probably supposed to be watching Mordelia as she’s talking to Santa, but I’m more focused on the boy. 

“I hate to be so forward when I’m dressed like this, but do you think you could give me your number? I’d love to get a drink some time. You can totally say no if you’re not into it.” He laughs nervously, and I’m already digging in my pocket for my phone. 

“You may not believe this, but I was just trying to work up the courage to ask for yours.” I smile and open my phone to a new contact. “Maybe you give me yours, don’t want you to get in trouble while you’re working, and I’ll text you?” 

“Perfect.” He smiles, and it could light up the city. “I’m Simon, by the way.” 

“Baz.” I smile warmly, then reach to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Nice to meet you, Simon. What’s your number?” 

I talk to Simon for another moment until Mordelia runs up to me and tugs my sleeve. 

“Who are you?” She looks at Simon curiously, and I’m curious to know what he’ll say as well. 

“I’m Simon, one of Santa’s helpers.” He bends down so he’s on her level. “Did you know that Santa has helpers in every city because his elves who live at the North Pole can’t handle being in the warmer weather?” 

“But it’s cold here too!” She protests, and Simon shakes his head. 

“Not as cold as The North Pole. Now, it was very nice to meet you, Mordelia. Take good care of your big brother and make sure he doesn’t end up on the naughty list.” Simon looks up at me and winks. 

“He won’t!” She’s beaming at Simon now, and she looks to me for confirmation. “You won’t, will you Bazzy?” 

“Absolutely not. Now, let’s say goodbye to Simon so he can make sure all the other boys and girls get to meet Santa too!” I put my phone in my pocket and take Mordelia’s hand. 

“Bye, Simon!” She waves and starts skipping away, pulling me along with her. “Tell Santa we said bye, too!” 

“I’ll text you. Promise!” I whisper, loud enough so that Mordelia can’t hear me. 

Simon can’t get in another word before I’m being whisked away, but when I look back, his eyes are still on me. Maybe coming to the mall to meet Santa wasn’t such a bad idea after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was pretty short! i hope you guys are enjoying reading these as much as i'm enjoying writing them!


	4. Chapter 4

Character A is desperate to find a particular item (book/toy/etc.) as a present for someone, but it’s been sold out everywhere. Character B helps. 

Simon had been searching for one particular book that Penny wouldn’t shut up about for weeks. Every bookstore he visited around town didn’t have it, and it was out of stock online. How many people really wanted  _ The Complete Works of Jane Austen _ ? He was starting to feel hopeless, but there were still a few more shops he could check in the city center. London scared Simon slightly, but there weren’t many things he wouldn’t do to make Penny happy. Especially at Christmastime. 

It’d been a year since they left Watford, and Simon was grateful. He felt more at ease now that he wasn’t having to deal with dangerous creatures or the possibility of going off. He was also glad he didn’t have to deal with his roommate, Baz Pitch. Some days he missed him (weirdly), but most days he was happy to not wake up with the fear that the person he shared a room with was up to something sinister. 

The weather was nice for a winter day. It was cold, sure, but the sun was bright in the sky as Simon walked a few city blocks from the train station to check the first bookstore on his list. It was a chain store, and although the book said out of stock online, he figured it couldn’t hurt to stop in and ask if they had another copy. Maybe the inventory messed up? 

At the help desk, Simon talked to a lovely woman who looked like she was in her sixties. He explained that he was looking for the book for a Christmas present for his best friend, and the woman promptly told him that she wished she could help but the it was sold out. It was a special edition, so many people were in line for it the moment it was released. 

Of course he hadn’t thought of that! Simon was never one to go buy a book at midnight release. (He didn’t even know they had midnight releases for books until a few minutes ago!) Now he could only hope that the next shop had the book. The shop was a tube ride away, and much smaller than the first store. 

Really, it was his last hope. 

This shop was more quaint than the last one. The storefront looked like something straight from a fairytale. There was a door carved into a large wooden tree trunk, and there were leaves where upper story windows should be. Simon wished his flat looked like that! He had a bright smile on his face as he pushed through the door, but it fell when he was greeted by a familiar voice. 

“Welcome in, can I help you find anything?” The voice spoke, and Simon knew instantly that it belonged to none other than Baz, the person he was just thinking about being grateful to be away from. 

Baz hadn’t looked at him when he spoke initially, but did soon after. He took a deep breath, then spoke again. 

“Snow. Can I help you find anything or are you just going to stand there?” 

This was the most pleasant Baz had ever sounded towards him. Simon knew he shouldn’t take this for granted, but he did need help finding the book. Baz was the smartest person he had ever known (besides Penny) so if anyone was going to be able to help him find the book it would be Baz. 

“I’m looking for this book for Penny.” He walked to where Baz was standing and showed him the cover on his phone screen. “She’s been talking about it and I know she would love to have it for Christmas, but every store I’ve been to doesn’t have it in stock, and I can’t find it online anywhere. I bet you guys don’t have it either.” He knew he sounded defeated. 

For a moment, Simon started to admire Baz. He looked a bit more grown up, his hair was longer, and he no longer wore a scowl on his face like an accessory. He seemed peaceful, and he was working in a bookstore. If he didn’t know him, Simon would probably have been attracted to him. (He was still attracted to him, but that’s beside the point.) 

“You’re in luck, Snow.” Baz spoke, and the slightest smile came to his face. “I think we actually have a copy of this left in the back. Hang on.” 

Baz walked away to the back room, and what Simon didn’t know, was that he was going to sell him the copy of the book he’d been saving for himself. He wanted to see the look on his face when he produced the book he’d been searching so hard for. Baz was never able to make Simon happy before, and he didn’t know if he’d ever have another chance, so he wanted to run with this one while he could. 

Simon looked around the shop while Baz was in the back, and he didn’t think he’d ever been somewhere quite so magical. He was sure the owner of the shop was probably a mage too, because he didn’t know any normals with the ability to make windows look like they were shining. 

After a few moments, Baz came back from the stockroom with the book in his hands. It was bigger than Simon expected, but he reminded himself that it was Jane Austen’s complete works, so of course it was huge. 

“You’re a lifesaver!” Simon took the book from his hands, and Baz felt like he might melt when their hands brushed. Simon had no idea the effect he had on him. 

“Make sure to tell Bunce who helped you find it! She won’t believe it.” Baz laughed, he actually laughed, and it caught Simon off guard. 

“Yeah, you helping me with something for once is pretty unbelievable.” Simon was glad they were able to keep things light hearted. He’d barely said goodbye to Baz when he left Watford, and he wasn’t necessarily avoiding him, he just thought he’d never have to see him again. 

“You never asked me to help you with anything before!” Baz said it like it was obvious, and Simon threw a hand up in surrender. 

“That’s fair. I didn’t think you would ever want to help me. I thought you only wanted to hurt me.” Were they still joking around? 

“I never wanted to hurt you after fifth year. Sorry I pushed you down the stairs.” Baz sighed, then reached to push a piece of hair behind his ear. 

Simon had a fleeting thought that he would like to touch Baz’s hair. 

“I forgive you.” He told him, and Baz’s facial expression looked relieved. 

“I regretted not telling you I was sorry for how I treated you before we left Watford. I was holding a lot of anger, and a lot of it got taken out on you, so I really am sorry. I wanted to reach out, but I figured you wouldn’t want to hear from me.” 

“I would have found it weird that you reached out to me, truthfully, but I’m glad I stumbled into the bookstore. I found my book, and got to talk to you! I’m sorry, too, for the way I acted around you sometimes. I know it was childish to always assume you were plotting something.” They’d walked to the counter now, and Simon was afraid that the conversation was going to end too soon. 

“Well, we aren’t kids anymore, are we?” Baz scanned the book and took Simon’s credit card. “If you want to catch up more, my break is in twenty minutes. The coffee next door is wonderful.” 

Simon considered leaving, but what was the worst that could come from having a coffee with him? He didn’t know when he’d have a chance to talk to Baz again. Strangely enough, this new Baz seemed like someone Simon would actually love to get to know. Had he always been like this under the ruse of being a menace? 

“Yeah, coffee sounds good.” Simon nodded and took the bag Baz was handing him. “Don’t stand me up.” He said without thinking, and a blush crept to his cheeks at the thought that it now sounded like they were having a date. 

“Stand  _ you _ up? Wouldn’t dream of it.” Baz said, and Simon felt his stomach turn because he sounded  _ flirty _ . 

“Okay then, I’ll be next door. See you in twenty!” Simon turned and walked out the door, and headed to the coffee shop to wait for Baz. 

Baz couldn’t help but think he’d blown it by letting his tone turn flirty there at the end. He never dreamed that he would see Simon again, especially not at his place of employment. He was as beautiful as ever, and he was still in love with him. Desperately in love with him. He thought maybe once he didn’t see Simon every day that he’d fall out of love, but it never happened. He just longed for him even more. 

The next twenty minutes went by slowly. Baz helped the customers who came into the shop, and Simon sat patiently in the coffee shop and sipped on a hot chocolate while he waited. Every time the bell on the door rang, he looked up and hoped that it would be Baz walking in. 

Finally, the bell did signal Baz walking in. He walked over to Simon instead of the counter, and Simon felt bad for not having a drink ordered for him. 

“I didn’t know what you would want.” He pouted slightly, looking to his own hot chocolate. 

“That’s okay, I’ll go order something.” Baz seemed to float across the room (was he always this tall?) as he walked to the counter, and in a few moments he was carrying a large mug topped with whipped cream back over to the table where Simon was sitting. 

“I took you for more of a black coffee kind of guy.” Simon watched as Baz lifted the drink to his lips, and he had a whipped cream mustache as he pulled it back. 

“I’m not allowed to enjoy a sugary drink?” Baz grabbed a napkin to wipe away the excess whipped cream, but he wasn’t sure why, because he was immediately going in for another drink. 

“I suppose you are.” Simon laughed, and the conversation felt so easy. “So, catch me up. What have you been up to?” His question was genuine, he never knew what Baz was going to do with his life after Watford. 

“Well, I moved into a flat in London with my Aunt Fiona because I’m going to University here. I’m studying English Literature, and I work at the bookstore. It’s been pretty boring, to be honest. Nothing exciting has happened. Maybe that’s because you haven’t been around causing chaos.” Baz joked. 

“Very funny!” Simon rolled his eyes. “It’s been boring for me, too. I live with Penny in a flat in Brighton because we wanted a change of scenery. It’s nice being by the sea. I go to University too, but I haven’t decided what degree I want to get yet. I’m still figuring out what I’m good at. I work in an ice cream shop, and that’s it.” 

“Brighton?” Baz asked, face falling slightly. That was an hour away. He knew he shouldn’t have felt like this wouldn’t be the last time he saw Simon, but he couldn’t imagine either of them making the trip often. It wasn’t long, but train journeys made the distance between two places seem longer. “Did you really come up here just to look for that book?” 

“Penny really wanted it!” He shrugged, “But I’m happy I got to see you, too. Wasn’t expecting to run into you at all.” 

“Think maybe we can make it happen again?” Baz asked, deciding to just throw it out there. What was the worst that could happen? 

“Baz Pitch, are you asking me out?” Simon was joking, but the look on Baz’s face made it evident that this shouldn’t have been a joke. 

“I wasn’t going to call it a date but if-” 

“You don’t want to go out with me?” Simon panicked, realizing that the stomach turning feeling he had earlier was actually butterflies. What was happening? 

“No! I do!” Baz seemed to echo the panic, “It’s just that I was caught off guard, I wasn’t going to call it a date because I figured you would not want that, but if you do,” 

“I think I do!” Simon beamed now, “To be honest, Baz, if you would have asked me a year ago I would have said no. But we’re not at Watford anymore, and you’re so fucking fit, so why not?” 

“Why not.” Baz leaned back in his chair, shocked at the outcome of this conversation. “I suppose I’ll have to come visit Brighton for that, then?” 

“Well, I came to London, so it’s the least you could do.” 

Over the next few weeks, Baz and Simon made trips back and forth to visit each other. Turns out, an hour’s train ride wasn’t so bad after all. Penny was ecstatic with her Christmas gift, and the two boys shared their first kiss under the mistletoe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoyed!! I'm going out of town this weekend and I've been trying to pre write chapters, but if I disappear for a couple days you'll know why.


	5. Chapter 5

Character A and Character B are co-workers, and they barely know each other. But, they both have to work through the holidays. 

**SIMON**

There’s nothing I love more than the holiday season at the Bakery. We always have cheerful music playing, and the looks on people’s faces when they see the cookies and cakes I decorate is enough of a Christmas gift to suffice for me. I love making people happy, and the fact that I have a job that allows me to do that is the best thing I could have ever asked for. 

It’s Christmas Eve and I’m sure there will be people in and out of the shop all night picking up last minute sweet treats for their families. The cashier tonight, Baz, looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. Maybe I should try and cheer him up. He usually doesn’t want to talk to me when I try to initiate conversation, but that never stops me from trying again the next day. 

I wait for a lull in business before I approach him.

“Want a cookie?” I ask while walking with a tray full of freshly baked and iced gingerbread men. 

“Gingerbread?” He eyes the tray, and I can’t decide if he’s going to say yes or no. “I didn’t know people still liked to eat gingerbread. Are they good?” 

“Delicious. Ebb baked them, of course, and I decorated them.” I sit the tray down beside him so he can see how each gingerbread man has a different design on his coat.

I watch as Baz picks up one of the gingerbread men and takes a bite. I think he likes it, because he takes a second bite and a smile crawls across his face. 

“You were right, they’re very good.” He’s smiling as he speaks. 

If I would have known a cookie would have made him crack a smile, I would have offered him one weeks ago. 

A bunch of people are coming into the shop now, so I retreat back to my decorating area while Baz helps them at the counter. I notice him pointing at me, and I figure he’s telling the customers that I decorated something. I smile and wave at them, and it feels good to know that I’m being recognized for my work. 

The night pushes forward, and soon it’s time to close up shop. 

“Alright, boys.” Ebb emerges from the kitchen, and she looks like she has bad news. 

“Something wrong?” I ask. 

“I need someone to make some deliveries tomorrow morning. I know it’s Christmas morning, but some of our best customers put in last minute orders and I simply could not have them finished by tonight. I’ll have to bake all night to get them done.” 

“Ebb, you work too hard!” Baz tells her, then puts his hand on her arm. 

“I can make the deliveries. Wouldn’t have anything better to do, anyways.” I shrug, then smile at Ebb. 

“I was going to offer!” Baz pipes up, and then frowns. 

“No, Baz, that’s okay! I’m sure you have a family to spend the holidays with, I’d just be by myself anyways.” I say, and I’m not sad, it’s just the truth. “My annual Christmas movie watching spree can wait a few hours.” 

**BAZ**

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react to Simon nonchalantly saying he doesn’t have a family to spend the holidays with. That’s just sad, isn’t it? 

“We could do them together, maybe they’d get done faster?” I offer up, because I feel bad just letting him do them all on his own. 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Simon nods. 

I’m thankful he doesn’t protest, because I’m not sure what I would have said next. 

We both say we’ll stay and help Ebb with the baking, but she isn’t hearing it, so before we can insist on staying she’s shoving us out the door with a box of cookies and various leftover pastries from the day. Simon’s box is almost completely full of scones. He must like them. 

My night is filled with reading Christmas stories to Mordelia and baking cookies for Santa. Daphne and Malcolm have never done things like that with us. Vera always did them with me, and now Vera and I do them with the little kids. After everyone is asleep in bed, I try to get some sleep too so I’ll be rested when we start making deliveries tomorrow morning. 

**SIMON**

I miss Penny on nights like this. I told her she should absolutely go away to college, and I know she’s thriving, but being in the apartment all alone is hard sometimes. I act like it doesn’t bother me, but being by myself over the holidays isn’t fun. When I get home, I turn on all the lights and admire the Christmas tree I put up all by myself. Then, I settle down on the couch and watch a movie with my box of scones. 

At least I have the scones, right? 

I’m not sure how long it takes me but I eventually fall asleep on the couch, and then wake up with just enough time to have a quick shower and run out the door. Ebb’s bakery is only a few blocks from my apartment, so I’m there in no time. 

“Good morning, Ebb! Baz!” I greet the two as I practically run through the door of the bakery. “Sorry I’m late!” 

“It’s five minutes, Simon! Don’t worry.” Ebb forgives, as always. “I’ve got you boys a full list of deliveries, and everything is already packed up in the van. Baz has graciously offered to drive.” 

“Oh, thank you, Baz. I hate driving in the city. Maybe it won’t be so busy since everyone is preoccupied with their Christmas morning festivities!” I suggest, trying to keep my spirits up. “Should we get going, then?” 

“Yeah, let’s go!” Baz starts to walk towards the back door, and I notice he’s holding two to-go cups from the coffee shop next door. 

“What’d you get?” I ask him, then open up the drivers side door of the van for him. 

“Cocoa, for both of us! Figured we could at least have a sweet treat while doing the deliveries.” 

The gesture makes my heart swell up. He thought to bring me a cocoa. I mumble a quick thank you and then run around to the passenger side and hop in, quickly buckling my seatbelt. 

“I figure the most efficient way to do this will be me running up to people’s doors to drop off their stuff while you figure out where we’re going next. Sound good?” I ask, then look behind me to check out just how many boxes of baked goods we have to drop off. There’s quite a few. 

“Perfect. Let’s get going, then.” Baz shifts the car into drive as he speaks. 

I reach to turn on the radio, because I hate driving in silence. “Do you care?” I remind myself that I'm not the one driving, so it would be the polite thing to do to ask Baz if he cares that I turn on the music. 

“Not at all. Turn it up!” He looks over at me and smiles, so I do. 

We spend the next two hours doing exactly as I’d planned. Baz drives up to an address, I find the box in the back and take it to the door, and then by the time I’m back in the front seat he’s ready to go to the next place. We make a good team, I’ll have to start asking Ebb to schedule us together more. 

After we’ve dropped off the last order and are heading back to the shop, Baz is quiet. 

“You okay?” I ask. He’s been keeping up a conversation with me all morning about one thing or another. 

“I was thinking about what you said last night, about how you’d be alone today?” He speaks, and I can’t tell if he’s asking a question or making a statement.

“Yeah, I mean, I will be.” I don’t mind talking about the fact that I don’t have a family. 

“I was just wondering if you wanted to come back to my house and have Christmas dinner with us. My father and step-mom are okay, my little siblings are funny, and I figure it may be better than spending the whole day alone? We could still watch some movies since that’s what you like to do, right?” 

**BAZ**

I can’t really see his face since I’m driving and I have to focus on the road, but Simon is taking a long time to answer my question. 

“Simon?” I ask, and glance over at him. He’s facing the window, and I notice that his cheeks have turned red and he reaches up to wipe his eyes. Is he..?

“I’m good.” He says, and turns back to me. “I would love to come to your house, Baz. Are you sure your family won’t mind?” 

“Not at all. The more the merrier, really. I’ll text Vera and let her know to set one more place at the table.” 

“Is Vera your step-mom?” 

“No, but she sort of raised me. She’s the best.” I’m smiling as I speak, I can’t help it. 

“Well, I’m excited to meet everyone. I’m also happy that you and I are friends now! I always thought you didn’t like me.” Simon says, and I furrow my brow. 

“Really? What did I do to make you think that?” I ask, and then remember how my little sister so boldly told me a few weeks ago that I had resting bitch face. I scolded her for her language, of course. 

“I guess I just assume that everyone doesn’t like me.” He shrugs. Maybe it wasn’t my resting bitch face, after all. 

“Well, Simon, I think you’re very likeable. If this were a Hallmark movie and I was bringing you home for the Holidays to pose as my boyfriend, I’d be hopeful that we’d fall in love for real.” I say, only half joking. Simon is very cute, after all. 

“Too bad that’s not the case then, huh?” He replies, and then we’re pulling back up at Ebb’s.

“You boys finish all the deliveries?” Ebb is decorating a cake when we walk through the door. 

“Yeah we did! Anything else you need us to do before we head off?” Simon always seems happy to help, and I admire that about him. 

“Absolutely not. Merry Christmas, boys.” 

“Merry Christmas, Ebb!” I tell her, then hang my apron up on the hook and grab my coat to replace it. “Ready, Simon?” 

“Do I look presentable or should I run to my apartment and change? It’s close!” 

I look over his outfit, a maroon sweater and jeans, and shrug my shoulders. “It’s not Sunday so you should be fine. We wear suits on Sundays.” 

“Okay then, yes, I’m ready to go!” 

I take him to my car that’s parked out back and we head home. I can’t believe that I could have ever spent this day without the shining light that is Simon Snow. I make it a point to ask him if he’d like to go on a date with me sometime, and he doesn’t even hesitate before saying yes. 


	6. Day 6

Character A and Character B meet in the ER on Christmas Eve.

Simon didn’t mind working on holidays. As a nurse, he often found himself in the emergency room on days when most people would rather be at home with their families. There was always a lot of action for nurses and doctors on holidays, so they were perfect days to have a job that didn’t pause for anything. 

It was Christmas Eve, and most people who wandered into the emergency room throughout the day had been inflicted with food poisoning or needed a few stitches from slipping on ice. Simon tried to make a connection with every patient he treated, because he wanted them to leave not only feeling better, but happier. 

After a lull in patients that seemed to last hours (it was really probably only half an hour), a big commotion started to come through the automatic doors. A couple of people were wheeled in on stretchers, and then a man about Simon’s age walked behind them, limping. He let the doctors handle the people on stretchers, and immediately rushed to the aid of the young man. 

“Sir, I think you need to sit down, you look like you’re limping.” Simon offered his arm to steady the other, and he took it. 

“You have to go make sure they’re okay!” The man spoke, looking in the direction of the stretchers. “My aunt and my sister, make sure they’re okay before me!” 

Simon led him to a hospital bed and sat him down, then pulled up a stool and sat in front of him. “Sir, the doctors are going to handle it. Let me take care of you.” 

If he thought the attractiveness of every patient he treated, Simon would never get any work done. He usually pushed the thought out of his head immediately, but this time, he couldn’t. This man was the most drop dead gorgeous human Simon had ever laid eyes on. Steel grey eyes, long black hair, and light copper skin. Beautiful.

“Just stitch me up and let me go, okay?” He spoke again, and Simon gave him a look. 

“I’m Simon, by the way.” He avoided the topic of letting him go, because he knew they were going to have to get his leg checked out before he went anywhere. 

“Baz. Now that we’ve got introductions out of the way, are you going to stitch me up?” He sounded eager. 

“Relax, Baz. I’m going to stitch you up and check out your leg. Want to tell me what happened?” Simon asked, knowing his tone sounded genuine. It always did. 

He turned his stool towards the medical cabinet beside every bed and started gathering supplies to do stitches. Baz had a gash on his cheek and his arm that Simon could see, and he’d have to make sure there weren’t more somewhere else. 

“The deer came out of nowhere. I was driving my aunt and my little sister to our family home for Christmas Eve dinner, and it jumped right out in front of me. The roads are icy anyways, so when I swerved a little bit it turned into a lot and I lost control of the car.” Baz sniffled a bit, and Simon realized he was crying. “I just hope they’re okay. They have to be okay.” 

“Were they both conscious?” Simon reached for Baz’s arm and he offered it. 

“I think so, Fiona was yelling at the ambulance driver.” This made Baz chuckle slightly, and Simon smiled. 

“Good, then. How about I go check on them after I do your stitches?” Simon asked, and Baz nodded. “I see you have cuts on your arm and your cheek, is there anywhere else we should check?” 

“I’m not sure, nothing really hurts, it could be adrenaline? So, if you want to examine me or something, be my guest.” Baz laid back on the bed now, and fixed his eyes on the ceiling. 

“I’m impressed you know that rushes of adrenaline suppress pain,” Simon told him while he began the exam. He carefully inspected each of Baz’s limbs and looked under his shirt to check for gashes. He pressed on his stomach lightly to see if there was any pain, and when Baz didn’t wince, he was relieved. 

“I thought I wanted to be a doctor for a bit, so I took a few pre-med classes at University.” Baz spoke, and then did wince when Simon lifted up his hurt leg. “Do you think it’s broken?” 

“Can you wiggle your toes at all? Let’s see.” He removed Baz’s shoe and peeled off his sock, and could immediately tell his ankle was swollen. 

Baz wiggled his toes like Simon asked, and Simon nodded. “I don’t think it’s broken.” He decided, “Probably just sprained. Usually with a break or a fracture, it’s hard to get any movement at all. I’ll get an x-ray just to make sure.” He wheeled to the computer and put a note in for an x-ray tech, and then moved back to Baz and the exam. 

“Did you always want to be a nurse?” Baz asked, trying to make small talk. Simon could think about how attractive Baz was, but that didn’t mean Baz wasn’t thinking about how attractive Simon was too. He couldn’t help it, he was a sucker for blue eyes. 

“Not always. I knew I wanted to help people. I thought I could be a social worker, or something. I had to study really hard to get into a nursing program, but I made it work. What did you end up doing since you decided not to go to med school?” Simon liked the small talk, he found that it helped distract patients from their ailments, and he’d mastered the art of not getting distracted himself while talking. 

“I’m an English teacher.” Baz smiled. “First year. I really don’t know what drew me to it, I’m not a huge people person, but I do have a love for literature that I want to instill in kids too. Strangely, I think the kids like that I’m not a ray of sunshine.” 

That made Simon laugh slightly. “I have so much respect for teachers. Teenagers have the most attitude when I’m trying to treat them.” He shook his head, and then looked up and met Baz’s eyes. “I’m happy to report that you don’t have any more gashes, just the ones on your cheek and arm. Any preference on which one I stitch up first?” 

“My arm first?” Baz said, and Simon nodded. 

Simon had a lot of practice with stitches. Since he was a certified nurse, he was often the one called when medical interns were busy, or he covered small cases like Baz’s in order to not bother the doctors. 

“Arm it is. I’m going to put some numbing gel on it, and then I’ll get started, okay? Just lay back and relax.” 

Simon spent the next few minutes stitching up the gash on Baz’s arm, and eventually moved on to the one on his face. “I’ll be extra careful with this one, I promise.” He told him before he started working, and he took his time.

Once the stitches were finished, Simon was ready to follow through and check on Baz’s family members. Just as he was about to walk away, the x-ray tech walked up. “Perfect timing!” He said, and then showed her Baz’s swollen ankle. “I think it’s just a sprain, but I wanted to get films to make sure.” He turned to Baz next. “I’m going to go check on your Aunt and sister, okay? I’ll report back.” 

“Thank you, Simon.” Baz seemed more at ease now. 

Simon walked through the hospital to the other nurses station, and easily found out where Baz’s family members had been taken. His aunt, Fiona, had a broken neck, which luckily they had been able to stabilize. His sister, Mordelia, had a concussion and a broken leg, but was also stable. Simon was relieved to hear this, because now he could tell Baz the news without it being devastating. 

When he walked back into the emergency room, Baz was back in bed after his x-rays. 

“I’m happy to announce that your Aunt and sister are both fine. A little banged up, but fine.” Simon smiled and sat down on the stool beside Baz’s bed again. 

“Thank God!” Baz let out a sigh, and Simon knew he felt relief. “I don’t pray, but I actually prayed while you were gone. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if something had been wrong.” 

“Did they bring your x-ray films back yet?” Simon asked, then realized he could have just looked for them. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be asking you things like that! You’re my patient!” He looked at Baz and smiled. 

“I was going to answer, anyways. No, they haven’t brought them. Guess you’re stuck with me a while longer.” Baz was smiling too, and Simon couldn’t help but admire him. 

“Do you need anything? A drink? I’m at your service.” Simon offered, happy to go grab something to make him more comfortable. 

“I think I’m okay, actually.” Baz didn’t want to be bothersome. 

Soon, a group of people came into the emergency room and began singing Christmas carols. 

“I was wondering if they would do this again this year! I worked on Christmas Eve last year, too, and this was my favorite part.” Simon was in awe, and wheeled his stool up closer to the head of Baz’s bed so he wouldn’t be in the way and they could both see. 

“Do you ever get tired of working on holidays?” Baz asked, curious.

“Not really. If I can help someone, that’s gift enough for me.” 

At the end of the night, Baz was able to go home, and Simon thought that would be the last time he would ever see or hear from him. But, after a few weeks had gone by, a big bouquet of roses showed up at the hospital. The card was addressed to Simon, and there was a message inside. 

_ Simon,  _

_ Thank you for taking care of me on Christmas Eve. I haven’t stopped thinking about you. If you would ever be interested in going on a date, please give me a call.  _

_ Baz _

Simon blushed after he read it, and then flipped the card over to find a phone number on the back. Of course he would call it. He couldn’t let an opportunity like that slip away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit behind because I was out of town and then I got sick upon coming home, but hopefully I can catch up within a day or two!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!


	7. Day 7

Character A can’t wrap gifts to save their life. Character B is their neighbor and can help.

**SIMON**

I’m hopeless. I’m sitting on my floor surrounded by wrapping paper, tape, and bows. The gifts I bought for my friends and family are beside me, and I’m supposed to deliver them tomorrow. But, I can’t deliver the gifts without wrapping them. That’s my problem. I always leave the door to my apartment open when I’m at home, just in case anyone wants to stop in and visit. In this case, I’m sure whoever walks by will laugh at me struggling so badly to wrap simple gifts. 

After I struggle to wrap another box (I’m sure it looks terrible), I notice a figure standing in my doorway. 

“Hey, Baz.” I greet solemnly, rather than my usual bright tone. “Come to laugh at me?” I wouldn’t be surprised if he did laugh. 

“I could laugh, yes, but I was actually going to ask if you needed some help. This is tragic, Snow.” He motions around to all of the wrapping paper strewn about the room.

“I wrapped one!” I hold up the very poorly wrapped box, and Baz strides into the room and plucks it from my hand. 

“There are spots uncovered!” He points to a large portion of the box that was without paper. 

“Shit, I didn’t even notice that!” I grab the box back from him and examine it, then realize I have absolutely no idea how to fix it. “I’m willing to accept your help if you’re willing to give it.” 

“Of course, Snow. Shove over.” Baz smiles and kicks his shoes off before sitting on the floor beside me. 

I would never have guessed that Baz would be good at wrapping presents. But, he’s good at everything else, so this shouldn’t really surprise me that much. He carefully cuts pieces of wrapping paper to the exact size I need for each present, and then shows me how to hold the paper while also tearing off a piece of tape. He says they have little things you can wear on your hand like a ring that have pieces of tape in them, and I should invest in one next year. 

We spend about an hour wrapping all my presents, and it’s pleasant having Baz around for that long. We’ve become good friends since he moved into the apartment next to mine. We don’t spend a lot of time together because we both work and go to school, but I may start making it a point to ask him if he wants to hang out. 

“I feel bad because I’m sitting here watching you wrap all my presents!” I say once I realize Baz is doing most of the work. 

“You’re helping!” Baz points to the tape and scissors in my hand. 

I give him a look, and he starts laughing, because he knows I’m barely doing anything. 

“At least let me make you a cup of tea or something for helping me. I can go do it while you finish that last gift!” I sit the things down from my hands and hop up, then pad over to the kitchen in socked feet. 

**BAZ**

I’ve been looking for a way to spend more time with Snow, so when the opportunity presented itself I knew I had to take it, even if it meant wrapping all of his Christmas presents for him. 

I don’t mind, though, because I think wrapping presents is enjoyable. 

There are a lot of things about Snow that I don’t understand. The first is definitely not knowing why he leaves his door open all the time. I guess because he’s friendly he doesn’t mind if people stop in. I’m the opposite being that I usually want to be left alone. If I was cheesy I’d say that opposites attract, but my crush on him isn’t the point here. 

“Tea sounds good, thank you.” I smile up at him and watch as he walks into the kitchen in his socks. Something about the socks makes my heart feel like it may beat out of my chest. 

I turn my attention back to wrapping the final presents, and make sure everything is perfect before I sit them on the stack with all the others. 

“Your friends are going to think you got those professionally wrapped.” I tell him as I get up and walk into the kitchen, where Snow seems to just be finishing up the tea. He hands me my cup and I take it, instantly loving the warmth seeping into my palms. 

“I’ll tell them I had help, trust me. I couldn’t take the credit for all of that.” He shakes his head. 

“Honest to a fault.” I compliment. 

“Sometimes I feel like it’s more of a flaw than a good thing.” 

“How could being honest be a flaw?” I question, curious to hear his response. 

“Sometimes I’m too blunt with people, and they don’t like hearing it. Does that even make sense? I guess I’ve never been too good at the whole ‘Tell people what they want to hear’ thing.” He shrugs. 

“I wish more people were like that.” I say. 

This all feels so easy, standing in Snow’s kitchen, leaning against the counter with a cup of tea. If I was as blunt as he was, I may just open my mouth and tell him I think he’s cute. Hot. Incredibly sexy. I want to kiss him. 

I’m getting ahead of myself. This should simply be a lead in for us to hang out more. 

“So, any time your door is open, I can just walk in?” I ask, raising a brow. “Why do you leave it open, anyways?”

“Any time! If it’s open, you’re welcome. If it isn’t open, you’re still welcome, just knock or text me. I may not be home, but I also may just be in my room or something. I leave it open because I want everyone to know they always have somewhere to go if they need someone or something. I may not be the best at wrapping presents, but I am a good listener and I can try to give advice.” He speaks, and his tone is genuine. 

“I think you’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, Simon.” I tell him, and I mean it. 

“Simon, huh? Thought I was Snow to you.” He winks. He actually winks. 

“Would you prefer I call you Snow?” I keep my tone steady although it feels like my voice could break at any moment. 

“Simon is good.” He blushes, and I nod. 

“Okay, Simon, how about we get together again in a few days and you can let me know how giving the gifts goes? I’m excited to hear about everyone’s reactions to the wrapping.” 

I discuss coming over to Simon’s place again in three days when neither of us are busy, and he says he’ll cook me dinner. If he’s as bad at cooking as he was at wrapping, I may end up making the whole meal. But, I won’t mind at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this and chapter 6 pre written, and chapter 8 is almost done too! If you're reading this live it should be up soon, but if you're reading this any time later than like an hour after I post, chapter 8 should be up too (:


	8. Day 8

** Character A’s ex will be at the Christmas Party A is attending. Character B poses as A’s fiance. **

**BAZ**

I’m going on Tinder for one purpose and one purpose only. I need to find a fake boyfriend to take to my family’s Christmas party, and I need to find one fast. It’s been months since my ex dumped me, but his parents are friends with my parents, so it’s certain that I’ll be forced to see him at the party. I can’t let him know that I’ve had absolutely zero romantic escapades since we broke up. I need to look happy. 

I upload a few pictures of myself and then prepare to type out a bio. May as well be honest. 

_Baz, 22._

_Looking for a man to pose as my boyfriend for my family Christmas party. In return for being my fake date, I’ll provide as much booze and food as your heart desires._

That should work, right? If guys aren’t seriously interested in going to the party with me they won’t bother messaging me. Now all I have to do is look at my possible matches and swipe through them. I think I can afford to be picky, so I’m only swiping on people I find attractive. 

I’m not really sure how this app works, and I think I super like someone on accident before I even see his name or what he looks like. Fuck me. I guess it doesn’t matter, because he may not even like me back. 

I spend fifteen minutes swiping through various men, and then finally decide to go to bed. I still haven’t gotten any matches, which is a bit discouraging, but I can worry about that tomorrow. 

**SIMON**

_You’ve been superliked! Open Tinder now to find out who wants to meet_

I blink at the notification on my phone, then quickly open the app. No one ever super likes me! I’m not that photogenic, so all my photos are group photos of me and other people. I know that’s super annoying, but I hate taking pictures by myself. The group photos are probably why I have little to no matches. The pool of people who want me is very small. 

I swipe through a few people before it shows me the super like, and holy shit. This can’t be real. 

The guy who starred me, Baz, has got to be the most breathtaking person I’ve ever seen in my life. 

He has long black hair (I want to touch it), grey eyes (I never thought grey eyes could be sexy), and beautiful light copper skin. This must have been a mistake. I should read his bio. 

Looking for a fake boyfriend to take to a Christmas party? I don’t know if I would be the best fit for that. I’m hopelessly clumsy, not that smart, and would probably be the least impressive person to take anywhere. But, I’m still going to match with him. I should send him a message. 

What do I even say?

I type out a few different greetings before I settle on one. I could try and send a pickup line, but I hate when people send them to me, so I can’t do that. What I come up with is funny (I think), but he may think it’s totally lame. 

_So you’re looking for a (fake) boyfriend, I’ll be that! Gimme time, you know I’m gonna be there! Don’t be scared to come, put your trust in me, can’t you see that all I really want is to be your (fake) boyfriend!_

Will he get the reference? Probably not. Jesus. I’m sending it though, I don’t care. The superlike was probably an accident anyways. My bio is boring, all it says is that I’m the guy in the middle of the first photo. What do I have to lose? 

**BAZ**

When I wake up, I have a few matches to scroll through. This is sort of exciting, I won’t lie. I look at my possible suitors, and then notice that one messaged me. There’s a blue star surrounding his photo. Shit. Is this the one I gave a super like on accident? I click on the message and read over it a couple times. He has to be referencing something, although I have no idea what the fuck it could be. 

Simon is his name. That’s an okay name. He’s twenty one, which is good. I click through his photos and notice they’re all group photos, but his bio tells me he’s in the middle of the first one. He has bronze curly hair, and I think he has freckles. He’s decent. I only have a few days to find a guy for the party, so I should probably say something back to him. 

It’s pretty early in the morning so I’m not expecting a response right away, but he sends one. Chatting with him is easy, it’s like I’ve known him my whole life. Maybe this accidental like was a good thing. We talk for an hour before agreeing that we should meet up and have breakfast together. 

This is kind of exciting, isn’t it? 

**SIMON**

Holy shit. Holy fuck. He wants to meet me. 

I slept maybe three hours last night. I’m sure there are bags under my eyes, and I definitely don’t have any clean clothes that are nice enough looking for a date. I need to do laundry desperately. I throw on a pair of joggers and a university sweatshirt. That’s good enough for a casual breakfast date, right? It’s going to have to be. I think I look cozy. 

The cafe he wants to meet isn’t far from my place. I can walk there in under ten minutes. I wave at my neighbors as I walk by and they wave back. I love making friends with people, and I think that’s one of my best qualities. 

Baz isn’t inside the cafe when I get there, so I find a table by the window and order a coffee while I wait. After a few minutes, the door chimes and I look up to see someone walk through it. It has to be him. He looks perfect, and it’s barely eight in the morning. He’s probably going to think I’m a total slob for showing up in sweat pants. 

He looks around for a moment before he spots me, and I wave to signal that I am in fact the person he’s looking for. He smiles at me as he walks over, and easily slides into the booth in front of me. 

“Sorry I took so long, I couldn’t find a meter for a few blocks!” He explains, and I shake my head. 

“No big deal, I live around the corner which is why I was able to get here so fast!” 

**BAZ**

I almost feel like I’m floating when I walk into the cafe. I’m excited to see Simon, and the prospect of him being my fake (real?) date for the party is looking good. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting to meet someone at all. But, everyone always says that things will happen when you least expect them. 

When I see him, I have to remind myself to breathe. I feel bad for looking at his photos earlier and thinking he was ‘decent.’ He’s so much more than decent. He’s quite possibly the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen before in my life. His hair looked bronze in his photos, but I couldn’t tell how much it shined. He definitely has freckles, and I want to touch them. 

It’ll be a right shame if this doesn’t work out. 

“Coffee or tea?” I point to his cup, curious. 

“Coffee.” He looks like he’s worried I’ll think it’s the wrong answer. 

“I’ve never been able to drink coffee that isn’t mixed with a ton of sugar and topped with whipped cream.” I admit. 

“Oh god, do you order those awful cold frappuccino things at Starbucks?” Simon asks, and he starts laughing, and I think about how it’s a sound I want to hear again and again. 

“I’ve never had one, but since you think they’re so awful I may have to try one to see what it’s all about.” 

“Not worth it,” He tells me, “Too expensive, like, 6 bucks for a medium, and there’s barely any coffee in it at all!” 

“Well then, I’ll keep that in mind.” I smile at him, and then our waitress comes up to take our breakfast order. 

Simon and I sit in the little booth by the window for over two hours talking. He’s so charming, and I want to know everything about him. He listens when I talk, too, I can tell because he puts his chin in his hand and makes eye contact with me the whole time. 

“Do you still need someone to go to the party with you?” He asks, then looks nervous. “You may not even want me to go, I don’t think I’d be that impressive of a date.” 

“Simon, are you kidding? I was going to ask if you wanted to make it a real date instead of posing as a fake date.” I tell him, then reach across the table and grab his hand. Is that too forward? 

It seems like it isn’t too forward, because his face softens into a smile and he squeezes my hand. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a guys family on the second date before.” He says, and I laugh. 

“I haven’t ever brought a guy to meet my family on the second date! But, there’s a first time for everything.” I try and comfort him, because I can tell he’s still nervous, but the smile on his face lets me know that he’s happy. 

We talk for another half hour before he sadly says he has a shift at work and needs to go. I give him my phone number so we don’t have to correspond on Tinder, and tell him I’ll text him the details for the Christmas party. I want to kiss him as we walk out of the cafe, but I decide to wait. 

**SIMON**

I’m sort of glad he doesn’t kiss me because there were onions in my hash browns and that would not have been a good tasting kiss. 

I’ll kiss him at the party. Maybe there will be some mistletoe. How romantic. 

Part of me believes I’ve been dreaming all of this. But then as I’m walking back into my apartment he texts me the details for the party and I know it has to be real. I never get text messages in my dreams. 

_________________

Baz said the dress code for the party is formal, and I should dress up. The only suit I own is grey and I wore it to a random wedding last year, so hopefully it still fits now. I don’t think I’ve changed much, and to my satisfaction when I pull it out of the back of my closet and put it on, it fits perfectly. 

I look pretty good in it, too. 

Baz is coming to pick me up before the party since he has a car and I don’t. I never have to drive anywhere since I live in the city, but his house is outside the city so it’d even be hard to take the bus. I smooth some product through my hair to try and tame my curls a bit, but they bounce back as usual. I’ve brushed my teeth three times, and I called Penny for a pep talk. 

I really shouldn’t be so stressed out over going to this party. Baz is so easy to talk to. We had a three hour phone conversation last night, and he told me everything I need to know about his family. I think I can remember all of their names, and he begged me not to make a scene out of how big the house is or what it looks like. I don’t care that he’s rich, just like I don’t think he cares I’m not. 

Right on time, there’s a knock at my door. I take one last look in the mirror before I walk to open it up, and he immediately takes my breath away. He’s wearing a dark green suit that I’m pretty sure only he could pull off. 

“Wow.” I huff, and take a second to look him up and down. I don’t care if he knows I’m checking him out. “You look great.” I say, and I feel a blush creeping onto my cheeks. 

**BAZ**

He’s telling me I look great, but I think he looks better. 

“ _You_ look great.” I say. Is that the best I could do? I should try again. “I don’t think that color suit would work for anyone besides you.” 

“Funny you should say that, because I was thinking the same thing about yours. I don’t even think I’ve seen a suit that color before.” He scans my body with his eyes again, and I feel like I might melt. 

“I had it custom made last year. I’ve worn it a few times now, and I figured a holiday party would be a good time to break it out again, with green being a festive color and all. You ready to go?” I ask, then offer my hand. 

He takes my hand, and we walk downstairs to where I parked my car on the curb in front of his apartment building. I open the door for him and then jog around to the drivers side, and we’re off. 

The drive out to my house is pretty pleasant. Simon looks out the window for most of the trip, and I hear him quietly gasp a few times as we pass by different things. I’ve been holding his hand for the entire drive, and sometimes when he gasps he squeezes my hand too. 

Maybe I am living a charmed life. 

Luckily, we arrive back to my house before other guests have started showing up. The staff is still bringing food and decorations inside at this point, but I know soon they will disappear and the guests will arrive. 

“Holy shit, Baz, this place is fancy!” Simon is still staring out the window, I don’t think he’s looked at me once since we left the city. 

“I told you not to make a big deal of it!” I say, a light laugh spilling out after my words. 

“There are gargoyles!” 

“Yes there are, take it all in.” I pull in my parking spot and get out to open Simon’s door. I’m nothing if not a gentleman. “At least we can get the whole ‘meeting the parents’ thing over with before everyone starts arriving. You ready?” 

“I think so,” He stammers, and I can tell he’s nervous. “Do I look okay?” 

“You look wonderful.” I look him over, then reach and move one curl back into place. “There. Let’s go inside.” 

Simon is effortlessly charming with my family. I can tell most of them love him right away. I can’t tell what my father thinks, I’m sure he would have still rather I brought a girl home with me, but he’s polite nevertheless. Almost as soon as I can finish introducing Simon to everyone, the first guests begin arriving. 

The party goes off without a hitch. Everyone is drinking, dancing, and enjoying holiday treats. I haven’t let go of Simon’s hand all night, and he even fed me a bite of a mince pie, which was so domestic I almost dropped. I haven’t seen my ex yet. Maybe he won’t be here after all. I hate that I’m even thinking about him when I have Simon on my arm. The point of all of this was to show him that I’m happy, and for the first time in a while, I actually do feel happy. 

**SIMON**

“You guys have one of these every year?” I ask Baz as we slow dance, because I’ve been in awe all night. 

“Every single year. I used to hate them, but now they’re not so bad.” He pulls back a little bit to look at me, and he smiles.

Baz’s family was nice, I think my favorite person was his little sister, Mordelia. She seemed to be the most interested in meeting me. The others were cordial, but seemed indifferent. Maybe that’s just how they are. Part of me felt like I was meeting the real life Addam’s family, but that’s probably just because they live in a gothic mansion. 

We dance for another full song, and then I feel Baz tense up. 

“Everything okay?” I ask him, genuine concern seeping into my words. 

“He’s here.” Baz takes a deep breath in and then blows it out through his nose. “I guess I should have told you the reason I wanted a fake boyfriend for the party was to prove to my ex that I’m better off without him.” 

I’m not really sure how that statement makes me feel. At first I was going to be his fake date, but now I’m his real one. Is it still just to prove how happy he is to his ex? I can take this one of two ways. 

“Are you better off without him?” I ask, hoping for an honest answer. He wouldn’t have asked me to make it a real date if he wanted to get back together with him.

“Completely. Totally. I just hate looking at him.” Baz swings us around so I’m looking in the direction he was just looking. “He’s over by the champagne tower, brown hair, kinda short. Black suit. He was a real jerk to me, and when he dumped me he said I would never find anyone because I was insufferable.” 

I want to go punch the guy and I don’t even know him. 

“I don’t know if it helps to hear this, but I think you’re the least insufferable person I’ve ever met. I’ve known you for what, four days? I want to know you for at least four hundred days.” I tell him, and he pulls back from our dance to look at me. 

“At least?” He asks, and I nod. 

“The way you just smiled at me makes me want to know you for double that. Triple.” I want to kiss him so bad, but I don’t know if the middle of the dance floor is the best place for that. 

Turns out, I don’t have to think about it for long, because before I can say anything else Baz is kissing me. 

**BAZ**

I could say the kiss is to show off, but it’s not to show off. Simon makes me feel electrified, like things may actually be looking up for me. I want him to know how I feel, and I’m not as good with my words as he seems to be, so hopefully the kiss can speak for itself. 

“I want to know you for that long, too.” I tell him breathlessly once we’ve pulled away, and I don’t even look to check if my ex saw or not. I don’t care if he did. “What do you say we go on another date soon?” 

“I would love that.” Simon nods. 

The party is over in a few hours, and Simon ends up staying the night at my house because I’ve had a few drinks and wouldn’t feel comfortable driving him back to the city. I can say that a few thoughts came to mind, but I didn’t act on them. I think we have something special, and I want to make sure everything happens at the right time.

It’s going to be a Merry Christmas after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh!! sorry for the delay on this one, I think I really underestimated how busy I was going to be this month! In between updates I graduated from college! I ended up changing from 25 days to 12, so I can definitely get the whole collection finished by Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! As always, please leave kudos and a comment because seeing them means the world to me!


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